Neighborhood
Dispute Settlement emerged from an effort of concerned citizens who, in
1968, formed the Human Relations Council of Greater
Harrisburg to respond to alleged brutalization of African American
students at John Harris High School. In 1978, the Human Relations
Council concluded that mediation provided a much needed alternative to
address conflict in the community. Community volunteers were trained as
mediators and offered their services to anyone willing to use mediation
as a means of settling a dispute. Neighborhood Dispute Settlement (NDS)
was gradually established as permanent community based mediation
program. In 1993, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police implemented a process to refer certain kinds of disputes to NDS, often as an alternative to police citations. In 1994, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency provided a grant to expand the program to other police departments in Dauphin County. NDS received statewide recognition for its success in reducing police service calls dealing with community and neighborhood conflicts along with the associated costs. In 1995, NDS collaborated with the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, to offer mediation services to the residents of Cumberland County. In 1996, Dickinson School of Law discontinued its own mediation clinic. Consequently, NDS obtained funding from Cumberland County and the West Shore Council of Governments to continue its service to Cumberland County. Community mediation through NDS thereby became a regional service that continues today and is shared and funded by municipalities in both Dauphin and Cumberland Counties. In 1997, NDS received national recognition by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Dept. of Justice, and the National Association of Counties as an innovative approach in combining elements of restorative justice and community policing. For over 30 years, NDS has provided high quality alternative dispute resolution services for individuals who might otherwise be unable to resolve important disputes with life changing consequences. |